


Journey to the World Between Worlds

by Mantabel



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Ben Solo is alive, F/M, Gen, I just want to write a happy ending, Journey into the unknown, Multi, Original Characters - Freeform, Poe finally grows up, Post-TRoS, Rey goes soul searching, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Rose is a bad ass, ben is in the world between worlds, hux is alive, inspired by a tiktok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:47:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22556560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mantabel/pseuds/Mantabel
Summary: It has been 3 years since the demise of Emperor Palpatine and Rey has gone radio silent since then. Finally confronting her grief, she is presented with a new task that will test not only her will, but her faith. Is it possible that someone could be living in a world beyond her? Will her friends join her on this perilous journey? What will she find in the world between worlds? She doesn’t know why, but she feels that the belonging she’s always wanted will be waiting for her.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Finn/Jannah (Star Wars), Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 19
Kudos: 52





	1. A Calling

When Rey came to Tatooine, she didn’t imagine it as exiling herself. She thought that by returning the sabers to the desert planet, she could go back with the Resistance and hep restore peace to the galaxy, but what turned into a day soon turned into longer as she looked over the Lars Homestead. She found the old moisture farmer system and began to tinker with it. Although old, it intrigued her as she never had something like this on Jakku. Then she found an R5 unit that could use some repairs. Suddenly BB-8 started having some issues of its own, not used to these conditions, and Rey had to haggle with an scrap part seller for dated pieces that might work from some Jawas. Then the Falcon needed some minor repairs and she found old books on the Lars Homestead of the fictional kind that she never knew about. Then there were old holoscan albums that showed Luke as a boy and his life on Tatooine. Then she started going through the Falcon to find anything to barter with for some more tools till she found it. Buried in a corner of the small cot she had slept in on her first night alone, she held the last thing that held her to Ben Solo. A black sweater with a hole where she had stabbed him.

She held the soft fabric in her hand. She stared it for a while before she felt a wave of emotions come crashing in on her like the waves she had felt on Ahch-To. She could see it again, vision she had had that faithful night when their hands touched. When only a full day had passed of their meeting and suddenly it felt like they had known each other for years. She could see it, that lush, green island surrounded by the bluest ocean from the crest she stood on. She saw him in a field below her and a child chasing him around, screaming in laughter as he allowed them to play. He swept up the child in his arms and toss them in the air to catch them, before placing a gentle kiss on their cheek. Then he looked her way and smiled.

But the vision faded and Rey found herself staring at the fiber interior of the old Corellian freighter. Etched in that wall had been the days that had passed. 1156 tics. She didn’t need to count, because somehow she knew deep down inside that’s how long it had been. She had been radio silent ever since then. Going back to the Resistance seemed like a distant memory.

“I’ll be back,” she had told Finn when last she held the lightsabers, “There is something I need to do, for the general and Jedi.”

She had never said when. She never gave him a time frame and Poe willingly lend her BB-8 not knowing if he would see his little companion again. They would never know when... if she would ever return.

What would be the point of returning? She wasn’t a leader. That was what Poe was for. He was at the helm of the Resistance to take down what was left of the outliers of the New Order. She had no knowledge of where they could be which is Finn was most helpful at, especially now with Jannah at his side. And though repairs and information may need to be processed and spread, Rose had that part covered. She didn’t really belong with them. She never really did. The only one who ever understood was gone.

Tears started to trickle down her face and even though she tried to violently wipe them away, they didn’t seem to stop. No matter how hard she tried to suppress them, they kept fall like a stream that had no outlet. She sniffed and cursed herself.

“Come on, Rey,” she said to herself, “You’ll get through this. It’s fine. Just clear your mind and breathe.”

When she did, she could see his face, clean shaven and smooth with the softest smile. His eyes bright with contentment and joy before she knew what would happen.

“Ben,” she whispered, reaching out, “Be with me... please.”

She was cupping his face, feeling the mole on his right cheek as he seemed to lean into her touch.

“Be with me...”

He seemed to be leaning in closer.

“Be with me...”

His eyes flutter shut.

“Be with me...”

He suddenly feels heavy in her arms.

“Be with me...”

He’s falling backwards.

“Be with...”

She tries to cradle his head before he hits the ground. His skin seems paler.

“Ben...”

He’s still smiling though. His grip is still in her hand, but he’s fading, disappearing in the sense that Luke did. He was at peace.

But she wasn’t.

Her eyes open and she takes a deep breath as if she had just come up from a deep dive. Rey searches the ground, expecting it to be the cold, harden ground of Exegol, but finds she had not left the Falcon at all. Every time she tried to reach out it was always the same. He fades away towards the Light while she feels herself festering in the unknown. She picked up a discarded lantern and throws at the etched wall. It wasn’t fair. None of it was. If she was meant to bring balance, how could she with no one to guide her. Sure, she had the books, sacred text of the Jedi, but some of its meaning was lost and foreign to her. And learning that she was a descendant of Palpatine, how can she bring balance and peace when he threw the galaxy into chaos and destruction? She picked up a tool and threw it at the same wall. She kept throwing things as angry tears fell. It wasn’t fair at all. She seek out a connection, in hopes to maybe one day find her own family, but they had died a long time ago. Whether it was a drunk demise or a noble death, she would never know, nor did she really care. She couldn’t even remember their faces anyways.

However Ben’s she could remember just fine. He gentle brown eyes, his well defined nose, his plush lips, his strong jaw and lush hair were all burned into her mind as if branded there. Every detailed was preserved that even at night she was would see him in her dreams, looking over her or laying next to her as if he was trying to watch over her. It was when she about to throw a small X-wing toy at the wall was when she stopped. She didn’t even know that ship had toys on it. She looked over, taking in the details and noted the red Rebel symbol on its wing. This was Luke’s ship. This was Ben’s toy.

Rey looked down at her feet at the sweater once more. She picked it up as she discarded the X-wing and held it close, smelling the collar as she felt another wash of emotions come over her. She was in the forest on Takodana, surrounded by pine and cedar as a mask figure stood in front of her. Then she was on Starkiller base, restrained as a prisoner where she first saw his face. She could almost smell the ash and steel in that room. Next she was on Ahch-To, where the force had connected him and he was curious of this bond, while she was ready to fight him still. Then she smelt smoke as he stood in front of her offering his hand and the galaxy just for her to be with him. She tasted the salt of the ocean as they fought on the remain of the Death Star. Finally she saw death as he faded from existence on Exegol.

That was when she final caved in, falling to her knees and curling in on herself. She sobbed openly into the soft fabric, allowing it to soak up her tears as the memories of him just flooded her with regret.

He had called them a dyad, two halves of a whole. One light and one dark. She had thought she understood which one she was, but now she was contemplating if she was wrong.

_Rey was on a lush, green island, standing on top of a hill, looking down at a wide open field of tall grass. At her feet there was a dirt path leading her down that hill and into the field. She followed it, kicking up rock and sand as she ran. The sun was high above as sweat ran down her face and back. She could hear the ocean as waves crashed into distant cliff. The dirt path was replace with a sandy path as she came upon a beach. There she paused when she saw a figure with a lightsaber in their hand. She quickly try to reach for herself, but found it to be not at her hip nor the gun Han had given her. The figure ignited their blade, but chose to study the yellow light that came from it. Rey watched as they played with the weight of the laser sword, swinging it and spinning it before taking the hilt in both hands. They ready their stance as they began a series of practice moves. A swing, a block, a dodge, a perry, and a cut to_ _the head, all basic but moved so fluid. Rey approached the figure as they readied their stance again. They repeated the same moves as she heard them whisper the positions to themselves. Soon the figure had more of a solid shape with subtle curves, a small waist, but a broad back and a young face with wavy black hair that was partially up in a small bun. It was a girl dressed in dark green capris, a dark sleeveless tunic, a lilac cross shawl, brown boots and belt holding her lightsaber._

_“Where did you get that?” Rey asked, making the girl jump and face her._

_She looked scared, almost embarrassed for being catch with it._

“ _I’m sorry,” she said quickly as she tried to hand it back, “I just wanted more practice.”_

_Rey took her saber from the girl as she continued to ramble._

_“I know you and Dad tell me I should wait for you, but I just wanted to show that I’ve improved.”_

_“Dad?” Rey questioned, “What do you mean? Who are you?”_

_The girl’s face fell into concern and confusion as Rey continued to look her over.The full lips, a small pointed nose, hazel eyes, a small mole on her chin, and her skin was pale, but Rey could make out a few stray freckles on her shoulders. The girl seemed familiar, but Rey couldn’t pin where she might have seen her before._

_“Mom? Are you not feeling well?”_

Rey bolted awake in her cot, nearly hitting her head against the top of the bunk. She couldn’t remember when she had gone to bed, but she looked down to find her in Ben’s sweater. She hug herself as she try to stifle the tears from forming. She didn’t want to cry anymore. She had to move on.

“Closed off, you have been, Rey,” spoke a croaky voice, “Hiding from yourself, you are. Failed, you fear.”

She jumped when the old Jedi master appeared in his bluish, ghostly form. He sat crossed leg across from her with a playful glint in his eyes and a smug grin on his wrinkly face.

“Master Yoda?” she asked and he nodded.

“Know of me, you do? Told you, Luke did?” he asked with a laugh in his tone and she nodded.

“Only in passing though,” she explained, as his pointed ear twitched.

“How disappointing,” he nodded, “Trained him, I did. Jedi he’d not be without me.”

“Well, I know the legends. I used to hear stories about the Jedi when I was on Jakku. They spoke highly of you claiming you were one of the most powerful and wise.”

“And yet, even the wise have their folly,” he sighed as he shook his head, “But here I am. Talk about past, I did not come to. Your journey must continue. Force imbalance still. Galaxy needs you, young Rey.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re hiding,” he glared, “Running away from your responsibilities. Making the same mistakes as other Jedi before you.”

She returned the glare and got up from the cot.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rey responded as she walked over to a mirror to fix her hair. She ran a brush through it to get the knots out of it, not realizing how much longer it had gotten. Once it sat on her shoulder, now it was down her back.

“Ah, misspoken I have,” Yoda grunted as he hopped off the cot too, “Balance in the Force, is there? A new Jedi order forming then?”

The ghost climbed onto a stool next to the basin and sat as she looked his way again.

“May lie to yourself, you can, but Yoda knows. Yoda senses the gravity of loneliness you feel.”

“I’m not alone,” she snapped as she gathering the top of her hair to separate.

“Yet you still cling to childish memories,” he noted, “Still hope the belonging you want will come back to you.”

She stopped feeling her stomach drop at his words.

“Whether paupers or nobles, you will never truly know,” he said as his small hand scratched his chin, “but clinging to the past, living with regrets, suffering will continue. Tread a dark path you do.”

“You don’t think I don’t know that?” Rey barked as she forgot about her hair, “Life was fine on Jakku before all of this happened. At least I understood waiting, but now...”

She felt the tears again and cursed herself before the old master touched her hand.

“Grief is normal, Rey. To dread losing someone close, hurts more than anything,” he said, “Young Anakin lost his mother. Killed many when grieving. Luke sought adventure, chance to become a hero. Ben Solo became lost. You did what I did. Exile. Suffer alone, you chose.”

He tilted his head slightly as his eyes comforted her.

“Not over, your journey is,” he repeated, “The galaxy needs you. Ben needs you too.”

She blinked, unsure of what he had just said and backed away from the ghost slowly.

“Ben?”

He nodded.

“He lives, Rey.”


	2. The Jungle

“Blue leader, status report,” he barked into the com.

“Watchtower to blue leader, Blue squad is just around entering the south side gate,” she responded, “Moving into to take out those security drones.”

Finn would have much preferred to be with the ground team, but a leader had to be on base, watching over everything. He trusted Jannah though. He and her were of the same cloth. They were taken at a young age, trained for the First Order, and rebelling against what they knew. The main difference was that Jannah had more military experience than Finn. She knew the layout of First Order base like she knew her way around a battering canon. She could handle a blaster just as well as her own bow and arrow. She was smart, quick on her feet and could hold her own. It still didn’t help Finn’s nerves every time she led a charge.

“Roger that,” he answered as he monitors the green dots on the screen. He counted 20 in total before four broke rank, “Going to channel silence. Contact only in emergencies.”

“Copy that, Watchtower. Blue leader, signing off.”

His pulse quickened. He hated this part of the missions. Radio silence was always unsettling, especially after Rey left.

Within the first week she was gone, Finn had tried to reach out to her, but she had cut off any form communication he could use. She even managed to turn BB-8’s tracking beacon, so there was no confirmation if she was even still on Tatooine. Poe had spoken against sending a rescue team out there.

_“What if she’s in danger or needs help?”_

_“She can take care of herself,”_ the other general argued, _“We need to focus on getting rid of the Order and mending the galaxy.”_

So, Poe had chose Rose to lead diplomatic missions and Finn was to work on gathering intel. Three long years had passed and so much had changed. Rose was now an ambassador for peace in Galactic Republic, sent on goodwill missions to help planets that had suffered long from the war of the rebellion. Poe’s focus was on their home base of Yavin 4. He had eyes on everything and spoke with the new senate on their process to obtain peace. When Finn was given his orders, he didn’t second guess himself when he chose Jannah to accompany him. They were a perfect time. Though he was more big picture, she would always combing through the smaller details. She knew exactly how many men she needed on every mission, what tools they would need and she was even great at convincing stormtroopers to leave and join the cause. Their numbers would grow more and more, always gaining help when they needed it. And at the end, when the dust had settled and the shooting had ceased, Finn would give them a choice.

 _“We’ll help you escape the First Order, give you safe passage and you’ll be able to start a new life,”_ he would say in his big speech as his commander lovingly called it, _“Or you can join the fight with us. We may not have as much as the Order does, but you’ll be given an identity, a chance to fight for not just your freedom, but the freedom of your brothers and sisters.”_

With his influence, the Resistance’s numbers grew and his name was becoming more heard through out the region of space. Jannah spoke highly of him among their new solider, told them how on his first mission he turned away from the Order, making him sound like a hero.

 _“Careful,”_ he had teased her, _“Keep talking like that and I might get a bit of an ego.”_

 _“You’re nothing like that flyboy,”_ she replied in a reassuring tone, _“He may know how to lead, but you inspire people. Someday their children will know of your legacy.”_

Jannah and him had become close these past few years. Though missions seemed long, they always were able to find down time to just talk, seeing if there was anything that they could remember of their lost childhood. At time she would hold him when he openly sobbed about missing his friend and the fear that Rey wasn’t okay.

 _“She never told us what happened on Exegol,”_ he had told Jannah, _“but you could tell she had changed so much in such a small amount of time.”_

 _“Perhaps she just need time to heal,”_ Jannah suggested, _“War changes people and with the whole galaxy on you shoulders, it has to overwhelming for someone who was just a nobody only a few years ago.”_

Finn remembered the way Jannah took his hand without hesitation, her fingers intwining with his to provide him with comfort. That was what he probably liked the most about her. Though he had found Rey during a time of lost and confusion, Jannah was something more familiar and sound. Almost like a home he had always wanted.

“Blue squad to Watchtower, we’re in,” he heard her say over the com. This was when his adrenaline spiked.

Perhaps last night he shouldn’t have confessed his feelings to her, but something about the way her skin glowed against the dying embers and her hair blew in the cool wind. It made Finn feel something, like the first time BB-8 shocked him, he felt tingly and it just seemed right. However, when the words tumbled out of his mouth, she seemed startled, almost frightened by the phrase. Instead, she turned in early for the evening claiming to be jittery about the mission.

“Blue leader to Watchtower, we have the files,” Jannah said over the com.

“Good,” he replied, “Get to the rendezvous point. We’ll meet you there.” He turned to Kaydel to let her know she had command.

Through the thick forest, he traveled in a large convo to pick up the Blue squad. He was accompanied by two reformed troopers, Gus and Hopper. Gus drove the convo with Finn in the front while Hopper loaded his blaster rifle just in case. Gus was a larger man with a full beard, a shaved head, and a hardy laugh while Hopper had a nervous knee that never seemed to stop shaking. They came from the same platoon and felt the call to join the cause, or more like Gus had encouraged his me to continue to fight.

Unlike most troopers, Gus could remember most of his childhood before he was taken. He used to tell stories of his life on Onderon and vivid details he remembered of his family. He believed he was always meant to be a warrior. Hopper, on the other hand, was more like Jannah and Finn. Younger, no more than 18, he doesn’t recall anything about his life before the First Order. Finn surmised it was Gus who encouraged Hopper to stay on.

 _“He’s an excellent shot,”_ Gus had bragged like he was talking about his own son, _“He can shoot the whiskers off a whomp rat with hitting any other part of the beast.”_

As they got closer, Finn heard shots being fired in the distance. He gave Hopper the signal and he took his position. The convo stopped as Finn joined him it the back to look out with his binoculars.

“What are you seeing?” he asked, not sure of what rustling he was seeing through the trees.

“Not your girlfriend,” Hopper said drily. He adjusted his line sight through his scope before looking through it, “They’re definitely being chased.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Gus chimed in as he prepared his own rifle, “The base was abandoned, only security droids and drones roamed about. We had gotten conformation of that three days ago.”

“Well, you always told us never rule out certain possibilities,” Hopper responded with a cool head, “This region isn’t tamed.”

That’s what made Finn even more nervous. He pulled out his com and spoke.

“Watchtower to Blue Squad, what is your location?”

There was static over the callback with a few words coming in and out.

“Finn.... headed.... big.... hur... Stat...”

“Watchtower to Blue Squad, do you copy?” There was more static. His heart jumped to his throat as he tried again. “Jannah! Tell me you’re okay!”

A loud screech was heard in the distance that made the blood run cold. The men stilled for a moment before Hopper released a breath and fired.

“What is it?” Finn asked as he looked back into his binoculars as the rifleman was about to answer.

“Nexu.” And he took his first shot.

Blue squad finally came into sight. Finn count seven, but there was no sign of Jannah as the white feline jumped down from the trees and onto one of his men. He cursed under his breath as he grabbed his of rifle.

“Cover us, Hop,” he ordered as he and Gus made a break to help the rest of the team.

Jannah had to be out there. She knew about deadly creatures like this one. He had seen her take down a ferrazid hound that tried to attack him. He aimed for one of its six eyes and fired, blinded it for a moment. The body remained unmovable, but as long as he could draw the nexu’s attention towards him, the rest of the team would make it out. It roared, scratching its face and licking the blood that spilt before looking for what injured him. Finn fired again, aiming for its shoulder as Gus went to the victim. Another member the squad helped him lift the woman from the ground and carried her to the convo. The nexu let out a low growl as Finn readied to fire again.

“That’s right,” he said to himself before shouting at the beast, “That’s right! I’m over here!”

It let out a roar before charging at Finn. He made a break for it, heading east, away from the convo in hopes that the others would be safe. He cut through the jungle, jumping over logs and running through a stream before realizing the beast’s footsteps had gone silent. He readied his rifle and looked into the trees. The stripes would probably make it harder to pick out the beast from the overhead, but Finn kept a watchful eye out. He heard a branch snap and watch fall before he fired in that direction. He heard call of the pylat birds as they flapped their wings, followed by the low growl. He saw the rows of pointed, yellow teeth before the creature lunge at him, claws ready to rip him to piece before being shot in the head by another blaster. It fell short at Finn’s as he looked up to see who saved him.

“Jannah,” he gasped as he saw her standing there. Her curls more wild then ever as they spread over the crown of her head. Sweat dripping down her dark skin as her eyes were riddle with concern and worry. Finn approached her to reassure her that everything was all right and to thank her, but she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in close. He held her, wrapping his arm around her waist as he closed his eyes to enjoy this moment. Though Jannah wasn’t much for affection, when she did show it, Finn gladly took it. He tilted his head slight to breath in her scent of musk, earth and honey, familiarizing himself with it in case it will ever be his last time. She pulled back and he looked into her bright brown eyes before she riled back to punch him in the jaw.

“You idiot!” she shouted, “Didn’t you get the message?”

“What message?” he asked as he cradled his injury.

“About the nexu!”

“You mean over the com? Everything was coming in choppy. That’s why I came out here,” he explained as he watched her face soften, “I didn’t want anything to happen to you, Jannah. Everything I had told you last night I meant it.”

Her eyes seemed to search for a hidden answer in his face as if she wanted to reveal some sort of doubt or lie. Finn finally just had to spell it out for her. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in till her lips collided with hers. Her body tensed till she relaxed, bending into him and allowing her snake her arms around his neck to deepen it. In that moment it was like there wasn’t a war going on. The world had gone silent around them and all that mattered was her. When they pulled apart, they heard their fellow comrades cheering them on from the convo.

“Sorry to break up this moment,” Gus called, “but there is a message for you, sir.”

He handed Finn the holoscanner and he opened up the link. Rey appeared in holo-form.

_“Finn... I need your help...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Hello my friends. I am Mantabel and welcome to Mantabel posts an update. Wow, I'm so proud of myself. I've just been in a Star Wars mood more and more whenever I think about what we could have had. Not only the amount of people just posting about Ben Solo makes my heart so happy. This chapter is mainly with Finn and Jannah and even though I was hoping that Finn and Rose's relationship was going to be explored more, I do like Jannah as a character. Grant it a lot of people are just saying she's Fem!Finn, but when I saw her riding that space horse with her curls, I was hooked. I want more of this woman. Oh, she's a possible love interest for Finn. Is that what Disney going with? I feel like Finn just really love strong females. Like he's just the damsel that needs protecting all this time. So, you go Finn! You be the little spoon in this relationship and watch your woman rep more weight than you.
> 
> Thank you for the 140 hits and the 15 kudos. Thank you to Zombie_Queen, MFA101, and Mei for your comments. I'm thinking on changing the rating to have more saucy content, because I want Star Wars to be sexy, DAMN IT! 
> 
> All right... till next time or till I decided to write something else. I'm sorry. I'm not really good at commitment...


	3. The Ambassador and her Companion

Rose took her hair down and massaged her neck.Traveling was exhausting, but at this took the cake. Her and her crew had a run in with few pirates on Maldra IV when delivering supplies to a few villages. Needless to say, it was a trap. Blasters were hot as they tried to take them prisoner and make off with their ship and supplies, but Rose would never leave without a fight. If that was one thing she had learned from the Resistance was to never stand down.

When she had become a Goodwill Ambassador, there was a lot of push back from her colleagues and friends. Finn had strongly spoke out against especially after Rey had left, not wanting to deal with losing another good friend. Those words seemed to hurt than his justification on to why she shouldn’t do it. Yet time passed and Rose feeling for Finn subsided. It was more of a fantasy to be with him as the hero she had dreamt of than the strong willed general he was now. Poe was in her corner though. He saw the political angle they could work with as her being their representative. She met with some many people in the first year, explaining to senators, oil barons, mining company, anyone that would listen to help them with their cause. What Poe wanted more than anything was to put an end to the fighting and restore peace to the galaxy. However, it seemed harder than they thought.

Once Rey went silent, it felt the Resistance had lost more than just the princess of Alderaan. Rose was so angry when she heard the last jedi turned off her locating beckon as well as the BB unit she was allowed to have as a companion. It was more infuriating to watch Finn slowly give up hope on ever seeing her again which made her want to find the jedi and give her hell for it. Despite the two of them going on their own paths and he finding new love in Jannah, Rose still cared for him and watching him go through heart break was too much for her to handle.

So, sometimes in her spare time, she tries to look for a signal, anything that would represent the readings that BB-8 might give off wether it was new programming or charging, she would track it. It never moved though. She could conform that Rey was still on Tatooine doing whatever she was doing. Still, the little information she had wasn’t enough to try and send a “rescue” for the “last Hope” of the galaxy. Poe didn’t see it as a priority, so Rose mainly focused on her humanitarian work.

The 3 long years since Exegol seemed almost like a dream to her. Now, life seemed to have a flow to it. She was seeing places that thrived in wealth from this ongoing war and others that were disappearing. Some ways of life were changing while other fight to stay alive. She had been welcomed with open are or turned away from the slightest push. Still, Rose was ready to feed many, provide them with a sense of assurance that they weren’t forgotten, and rally the support they needed. She had watched the Resistance numbers grow since then and had marveled at willingness for even the smallest of clans to help in their ongoing fight. Yet, there was still an emptiness she felt.

She had watched Finn be able to turn the hearts of so many, but she felt more push back from monsters that were bigger than Snoke. Hotshots with pockets brimming with credit who would only give her an 1/10th of what they made in sales during the war. They would sneer at her, some looked down their noses at her, other would claim they had already given enough, but as a whole they despised her, seeing her as a threat to their way of life.

Still, she trekked on.

“ _Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it, you’ll never make it through the night.”_

She held onto the words spoken by General Oregana and Admiral Holdo. She had to think of the end result she wanted to achieve.

She washed her face in her basin as she was about to turn in for the night when she heard a small alarm go off.

“Come in,” she said as she dabbed her face. In strolled a tall man with fiery hair and a sour look holding a data pad with, what she assumes, her speech for tomorrow.

“I had advised against going to Maldra,” he began as passed off the data pad.

“I don’t ever remember asking for option, Swamp Rat,” she replied as she tightened her robe and looked over the notes.

He scolded at her, his green eyes flash with disapproval, but she smirked at as she sat behind her desk.

“Still, it was ill advised by not only me, but other members of your crew. If you carry on in this way, Ambassador, I’m afraid you’ll lose more support than gain.”

“I don’t want support, Armitage,” Rose said with inflection as she met his steer gaze, “I want to inspire people like Leia did.”

“Yes, but she worked in diplomacy without getting herself shot at after the war.”

Rose laughed.

“Careful, Hux,” she smirked, “or people might start thinking you care about me.”

His cheeks colored a little as he looked away from her and out the large bay window in her quarters.

It was about 2 years ago when they came upon his escape pod floating in space. Poe had spoken against keeping him, saying that no matter how much he had helped the Resistance, he still needed to pay for his crimes. Armitage didn’t seem to care what happened to him. He had been alone and close to death, that he would have executed himself. So, seeing him on his knees in front of her with his hands cuffed behind his back did give her a sense of power, if not revenge, but it wasn’t satisfying at all.

She had argued that mercy would be the greatest punishment for him.

“ _By not stooping to his level, he can act in our favor by rallying those who already have loyalties to the First Order,_ ” she had told Finn and Poe, “ _Put him on my team. I’ll make work.”_

“ _He won’t do it,”_ Finn argued, “ _He’ll kill you first, the moment you turn your back. If we’re keeping him, he stays on base.”_

“ _He’s no good to us here_ ,” Rose challenged, “ _He was the face of the Order. By having at my side, it’ll show that anyone can turn.”_

The next day Poe orderArmitage Hux to wear a tracking cuff. It was on his right wrist with the symbol of the Resistance on its lock. He would accompany Rose on her goodwill mission, help provide aid when needed and assist her in works of diplomacy. He hated it. He had said he’d much rather be thrown in a prison cell.

Still, he never missed an event that was catered, nor a chance to sit in on a council meeting with other diplomats and senators. He was a great advisor. He knew everyone and everything about the different regions of space. He often was the one helping Rose dress for grand events, choosing the right fabric and style it should be so all eyes would be on her.

When she was invited to her first ball, she didn’t know how to dance. Begrudgingly, the ex-First Order General taught her how to waltz. His large hand on the small of her back made her shiver and when he pulled her close, she had to excuse herself from blushing. Despite all his imperfections and skewed morals, Rose couldn’t deny Armitage was quite handsome. His strong jaw and vibrate eyes would make any woman swoon, but he was still an enemy. He was just using her so he didn’t have to be locked away forever.

Then one night after a long day of meetings, as Rose was throwing off her high heels and rubbing the soles of her feet from ache, Armitage surprised her. He told her to sit and allowed her feet to rest on his lap. He removed his gloves and coat and rolled up his sleeves before taking her right foot. She jolted at his touch.

“ _What are you doing?_ ”

“ _Rubbing your feet,_ ” he answered drily, “ _Or would you prefer the cold hands of the medic droid you complain about?_ ”

It was a simple gesture that clearly changed the narrative. Now, Armitage was given more responsibility. Her crew looked to him now as an equal rather than a prisoner. She would invite him to dine in her private quarters from time to time and she would ask him about his life, how he survived, and anything else that she could learn. Instead of watching her from the shadows, he was her shadow at events, never leaving her side and ready to counter anyone who dare argued her views, but with the subtlety not to lead them at that he was insulting their intelligence. Without Finn around, she didn’t have much of a friend on board the freighter she traveled. At least with him, he always had something to say. Wether they argued over policies or agreed on courses of action, Rose couldn’t deny that she had developed a soft spot of her little swamp rat.

“Have you heard the news?” Armitage asked as he pour her a glass of Nabooian white sangria.

“The First Order is finally giving up?”He glared at her as she stuck out her tongue.

“No, your Jedi friend has reached out to FN-2187.”Rose rolled her eyes.

“She’s not my friend,” she responded as she got up to take her glass from him, “I hardly interacted with her. She was constantly training and trying to prove herself worthy of something. People used to flock to her like she was a god or something.”

“Ren would sometimes have that appeal to people,” he said as he swirled his glass, “Especially when his mask was off, you could see the royal blood in his face, but was often overshadowed by the anger he held in his eyes.”

“People feared Kylo Ren. They called him the next Darth Vader.”

Armitage smirked.

“He could never be Vader,” he chuckled as if she had told him a joke, “He was too intense.”

His comment made her think back to the few times she did watch the Jedi train. The distant looks, the frustration, the anger and sometime what seemed like regret. Rose had remembered spying on her during a quiet time when she was examining an old scar she had gotten with her last encounter with the new supreme leader before covering it with a leather band. It was almost like she was embarrassed by it, but thinking back now, maybe it was more of a hopeful gaze.

“What did the message say about her?” Rose asked as she took her seat in a large lounge chair and propped her feet on top of an ottoman. Armitage took his place on the ottoman and held her left foot with care, knowing that she had recently sprained it after their encounter with the pirates.

“She has returned to the Resistance and is requesting an audience with you, Dameron and FN-2186,” he simply put it, “There was nothing else in the message except that she is making her return to Yavin 4.”

Rose cocked an eyebrow as her body relaxed to his touch, stifling a moan from escaping as his thumb went along her arch. Her true weakness. Her head was always clouded when he started this.

“It’ll be at least a three day flight back even with light speed,” he continued, his hands making their way up her calf, her breath hitched under his touch, “but from the message it sounds urgent.”

Her nails dug into the arms of her chair as his hands continues to work their magic.

“We can chose to take a longer journey,” he suggested, “if you need more time to rest after everything that just happened,” he started to switch feet and began to massage it, “You’ve been under a lot of stress after recent events.”

“No,” she sighed. She knew what he was doing.

He doesn’t like being on the Resistance base. He knew he still had enemies or at least, knew of a handful that wanted to blast him in the belly themselves.

“If it’s urgent, it’s urgent,” she said as she pushed his hands away and stood, “Tell Captain Antilles to keep the course. Full speed ahead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A gingerrose chapter for all of those who love this chaotic ship. It unfortunate that we never got another scene with these two. Plus, if they ever do continue this franchise, Hux isn’t really dead. No way he would just allow himself to be killed like that. I want a Disney+ series of these two going on adventures together with some sexual tension. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the minor sexual tension here.
> 
> Thank you xmag and T1mb3rfoxcr33k for your comments. Thank you for 244 hits and 22 kudos. Till next time everyone. ❤️


	4. A Proposition

It came as a shock all over the base when the transmission came through. Could this be real? 3 years had passed and she was finally going to return. The guiding light they had desperately needed this whole time. A Jedi knight to be the beacon the Resistance had needed would finally show them the way. They all rejoiced at the thought of it. Troops talked about finally going home, pilots talked about finding the ground again, and Poe felt he was doing something right for a change.

“Listen up everyone,” he spoke on the com, not wanting to get their hopes up just yet, “We’re not entirely sure what this means for us, but it’s important we don’t forget what our fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers have done for us and what we are doing now. Keep your wits about you, but let’s give Rey the best welcome she could ask for.”

A loud cheer could be heard outside his office as Officer Kynlee turned off the com. She turned to her general as the worry slowly started to appear on his face.

“What are you thinking, General Dameron?” she asked as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

He turned to her and gave her a soft smile.

“It’s nothing,” he sighed, but he couldn’t shake this nagging feeling.

*****

Rey’s heart was racing when the Falcon came out of light speed. She hadn’t been to Yavin 4, but knew of its history. The Rebel base during the Empire was still a perfect location for the Resistance to receive and send calls. Leia would argue any day that despite its age, the tech still held up well and could go undetected by the First Order. The green landscape nearly brought her in tears. It had been too long since she had seen trees. BB-8 excitedly beeped when his censors picked up the base’s frequency.

“Don’t worry,” she said to the droid, “You’ll get a hydronic bath soon enough. Get as much sand out of your gears.”

 **“Thank you, Miss,”** hebeeped as he spun around.

She smiled at the droid’s happiness. BB-8 deserved the world if she could give it to him. He stuck with her and never argued when she turned off his tracking beacon. Perhaps he knew what she was going through, but now, she felt like she had a mission. Yoda told her she had to go back to the Resistance.

_“Journey alone, you must not. Take Finn. Show him the Force. Train him in the ways, you must. Others will accompany you, but beware of doubt. One will push back. One will scorn, but one will understand.”_

“Rebel One to Millennium Falcon,” she heard over the com, “You are clear to land in Hangar Bay 4. Welcome home, Jedi.”

The hair on the back of her neck prickled as she felt nauseous. Jedi? Did she really earn that title? No, Master Yoda told her that doubt would be her fall. If she was to complete this journey, she had to hold faith in herself and in the Force.

“Millennium Falcon to Rebel One, heading towards Hangar Bay 4,” she responded, “Thank you for the welcome.”

She eased the ship down as BB-8 continued to roll around in anticipation.

**“Let’s go, Miss!”**

She got out of her seat as she released the ramp. BB-8 headed straight for it, full speed and didn’t look back. Rey hesitate at the top of it. She could sense them, the Resistance soldiers ready for her to make her descent. She could feel Poe’s joy being reunited with his droid, Chewie’s eagerness to hug her, Finn’s excitement to see her again, but there were other feelings she wasn’t ready to face. Kaydel’s indifferent response, Jannah’s fear, and Rose’s contentment. Rey looked herself over once more. Long gone was the full white outfit she wore after defeating Palpatine. Now, she spotted green pants with her brown boots and her blaster in its on her right thigh. She chose to forgo the childish buns she had been known for and let her hair cascade down her back, but kept part of it up in a braided bun. The shirt she wore was Ben’s. She had thought about sewing up the hole, but chose to keep as a reminder of what she had done. She took her saber she had built and attached it to her left hip and threw her green poncho on before disembarking.

*****

There she was and she hadn’t changed a bit. Finn was ready to run up to her and embrace her wholeheartedly, but Chewbacca beat him to the punch. The wookiee’s fur engulfed as she let out a laugh. He let out a roar before looking over at his ship. He pointed out a few things as the Jedi told him they were necessary repairs. He shrugged them off as he went over to give the Falcon a full look over. That was when Finn approached. Rey turned and smiled at him.

“Hey Finn,” she said before he pulled her into a hug.

“Rey... It’s been too long,” he sighed.

“I know,” was all she could say.

*****

Rose watched the welcoming committee happen for the high tower on base. From what she could see the reception was warm and welcoming. Poe seemed to be making a big speech about peace, hope and the cause while Finn stood promptly beside Rey. Jannah stood next to her and watched.

“Is it always like this?” she asked the ambassador.

“I’m afraid so,” Rose responded as she turned away from the window, “but we must be grateful. Jedi are very hard to come by these days and she was the one who killed Snoke, Kylo, and Palpatine.”

“Kylo?” Jannah questioned as she follow Rose down the stairs.

“Yes, at least that’s what the report said. I wouldn’t know, I never left the base till we had to go to Exogol.”

“Rey never killed Kylo,” Jannah said, making Rose pause and look at her. Her face narrowed as if she was ready for a punchline to be said or the statement to be redacted. “I mean, she did stab him, but afterwards she healed him. I saw it.”

*****

Rey couldn’t remember the last time she had a warm meal, but this was enough fill her for a lifetime. Bantha stew, warm bread, a glass of blue milk, all of it was amazing. A bottle of Corellian whiskey was going around and she had a swig of it as Finn shared stories of his adventures, introducing her to ex-stormtroopers who had join the cause.

“That over there is Fender,” he pointed at a tall, dark skin man with striking green eyes, “He specializes in mobile repairs. Which is why so many of our X-wings look brand new.”

“So, you’ve given them names?” she asked as beamed at her friend, “Finn, that’s wonderful. All of this is wonderful.”

He returned the smile before it faltered and he placed his hand on hers.

“Lots of things have changed since you left, but war is still going on,” he starts and she knows where this is going, “We could really use someone like you at the front line. You could be a commander like the Jedi were during the old Republic. You and Jannah would be a great time.”

“Finn, I haven’t come back to fight your war,” she finally said. He frowned at that response.

“My war? Rey, I wasn’t the one who started this,” he stated, “The First Order rose front the shadows of the Empire. They are the ones who keep this war going and we need to put an end to it.”

“Even if the war end, there is still no balance. There is day without the night, no moon without the sun,” she began, “This war was started because the Jedi were blinded by their own pride. A new order must form if there is to be balance once more, one that shows the Light and the Dark as equals and not as enemies.”

Finn looked confused as he stared into her eyes.

“Finn, I need to save Ben,” she finally confessed.

*****

Rose listened to Jannah’s side of what she saw on the Death Star.

“She was filled with so much regret,” she explained, “and when she healed him, his face was so soft, as if he were a man in love.”

“Love?” Now Rose really wasn’t buying it. “You mean to tell me a man who murdered his father, destroyed everything his mother had built, and tried to kill his uncle felt love for her?”

“You didn’t see it,” Jannah argued as Rose adjusted her shawl, looking herself over as she eyes the young officer, “For someone who seems like a ruthless tyrant, he was willing to give it all up.”

Rose turned, lifting slightly. It was a trick Armitage had taught her because of her stature. It was to show that she still had authority to whoever is talking to her.

“Armitage told me stories of his temper and his drive to finish what Darth Vader has started,” she stated, “Someone with so much hate can’t be turned.”

“And yet you trust a First Order General who ordered an entire system to be wiped out,” Jannah countered, “You’re no different than Rey. She saw the Light that was still in Ren as you saw the good in Hux.”

Rose stiffed slightly. She didn’t like it when others pointed that out. Where in most cases it was out of spite that she allowed herself to keep company with a murderer, here Jannah was trying to prove her argument.

“Finn and I were trained to carry out orders to kill innocents and we turned. Hux may have turned for his own benefit, but most are seeing the change,” she continued, “Perhaps it’s not so hard to believe.”

*****

Poe Dameron likes to think of himself as a reasonable man. Though he was more grounded, he had adjusted to life running a base better than he thought he would. When Rey left, he figured it was some Jedi thing they always did after something big. Luke had done it when Kylo had destroyed the Jedi temple. He assumed it was some soul searching or spiritual journey. At least that was his understanding of it, but now he had Finn up in arms, Rose confused, and he feeling like his head was going to explode.

“Okay, just run it by me one more time,” he said as he began to take off his military coat and adjust his sleeves.

“I don’t know how many times I need to say this, because clearly no one understands,” Rey snapped, getting frustrated herself.

“Could it just been the desert did a number on you?” Poe asked with some concern behind his voice, “I’ve been to Tatooine before and those suns can be grueling.”

“Did you forget I grew up on Jakku?”

“Rey, no one is trying doubt what you’re asking,” he said.

“I am,” Finn finally spoke up, “Did you forget we’re in the middle of war? A war that Ren was a part of? He killed his own father. He kidnapped you!”

“And yet the Force connected us,” she fought back, “At some point in his life, he was happy. He had thought he would be a pilot one day or maybe a great Jedi, but so many failed him... I failed him.”

Poe saw the tears form in her eyes as she spoke with great conviction. It was the same way Leia would speak of Kylo Ren. Not as a mortal enemy, but as a son she had failed to save.

“I’ve been given another chance to set this right again,” she said, finding her composure again, “Master Yoda has tasked me to train Finn in the ways of the Force, so we can to World between Worlds.”

Rey turned her gaze to Finn as continued to be guarded. His arms crossed and his glare held.

“Do you believe that there was still good in him?” Rose finally asked as Poe turned to her.

A smile formed on Rey’s face that was so gentle and warm that Poe felt his own heart tug.

“I’ll allow it,” he order, making Finn’s head turn.

“What? Poe, you can’t be serious,” his general spoke up, “She clearly needs help. The Force wouldn’t want her to do this. That’s not even how it works.”

“Do you know how it works, Finn?” Poe shot back, “She is asking and I am ordering. If this brings to all of this fighting, I’ll take anything.”

“All right, say we do bring him back. Who’s to stop him then?” he asked.

“She will,” Poe said as he pointed to Rey, “because, clearly, she knows what to do.”

*****

Armitage Hux watched as Rose started packing for the trek.

“Who will lead the goodwill trips in your absence?” he asked as he looked her over. Her long black hair was put up in a loose bun where a few strands escaped to frame her small face. She wore khaki cargo pants and a tan shirt. Her boots heavy as she looked over provisions and other supplies along the metal floor. He hated this look on her. To him, it reminded her of her old ranking, when the Resistance hid her away. She was meant to be at the forefront.

“Kaydel Connix,” she simply put it as she began to pile cargo onto a cart, “She’ll be my stand in until this is over. She knows all the speeches and I have her notes on other ambassadors to seek advice from.”

“Another rebel scum to grained out,” he huffed, “She’s probably worse than you.”

“Kaydel comes from Dulathia. A very wealth planet with his capital funding both sides of this war,” Rose said smugly as she watched his cheeks color, “She knows difference between a salad fork and soup spoon better than most from the looks of it. And you would know that if you studied the files of our regime.”

His brow furrowed as Rose threw her head back and laughed.

“Honestly Hux,” she giggled, “It’s a surprise to me how you managed to stay alive.”

He took her hand before she could sent run the cargo to the Millennium Falcon.

“Don’t go,” he spoke in a whisper, “Your work is just getting started and being replace will only put a bad face on the Resistance.”

She looked down at their hands before studying his face. Then she smiled at him.

“You’re just worried about your own skin. Jannah has been given instructions not to kill you, you know.”

He rolled his eyes.

“This is ridiculous,” Armitage huffed as he dropped her hand in annoyance, “You don’t understand.”

“I get it, Hux. You’re a walking target, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have friends on the inside that would help you.”

She grabbed the necklace around her neck, pulled over her head and handed to him.

“If you have fear or doubt, just wear this,” she said, “Show that you can be more loyal to a cause than just your own.”

Armitage took the crescent moon and looked over its design. It was one half. She had described it as wear her heart on her chest for the worlds to see. Like him, she had lost so much and when the fighting progressed, got pushed to back due to failures. When they were ready to lock him away, she saw the value in him that many would have questioned. And now she was willing to give him a part of her to hold on to as a way of more protection. He didn’t understand what her true intentions were for him, but he felt he needed to say his part.

“Listen Tico. This mission or quest or fantasy you’re going on sound like a whole lot of rubbish and nonsense, but if you do somehow bring back Ren, you don’t know what could be at stake.”

“I know. Finn keeps trying to convince Rey not to do this,” she said.

He pulled out his blaster. A small one that he often carried in his coat and handed to her.

“For your protection,” he simple put it as she eyed the small pistol, “If he gets to be unruly or at the first sign of trouble, just shoot. Never hesitate.”

Rose took the small weapon. It seemed like nothing, but she had read about these when the First Order was slowly being dismantled. Officers were given these blasters as a sign of rank. Easy to conceal when taking out an enemy. She hoped it wouldn’t come to this.

*****

Everything and everyone were accounted for as Rey looked over the ship once more. The Falcon had been through so much in her time, but more reliable ship, Rey could not think of one. Chewbacca was eager to get back into his pilot seat as BB-8 rolled aboard the vessel. Poe came out and walked up her. His face still riddled with concern as Rose and Finn finished the last bit of cargo with the wookiee.

“Are you sure about this? That this is what you really need to do?” he asked.

“If you’re worried about Finn, I’ll make sure he makes it through in one piece.”

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” he said, “You were gone for so long without anyway for us to know if you were okay. After Exegol, it was like you were a changed person.”

“I am,” she said with confidence, “I am a Jedi, like my masters before me and like Ben Solo was before he turned.”

“You’re really sure about that?” She nodded. “Then bring the general’s son home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! A new chapter with Poe in it now. With Finn being Force sensitive, it just makes sense that Rey would train him. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of like everyone who is Force sensitive has to be a Jedi now. In my mind, it never made sense to me that Leia would want to train to be a Jedi, but would want Luke to teach her how to control her new strength. I don't know. I feel like I'm in the minority here with that. But Rey wanting to train Finn, I 100% support and I feel will be a key in bringing Benny-boi back.
> 
> Thanks to xmag and Gingerroselove for your comments on the last chapter. Thank you for the 331 hits and the 27 kudos. Hopefully there are still those that are enjoying. The next chapter will take you to another desert planet, so stay tuned. <3


	5. A Meeting from the Past

_“Rey...”_ She heard his voice. It was distant, but she knew where to go.

 _“Rey...”_ It was deep, like the rumble of thunder or the pull of a wave, but warm as arms embracing a lover.

 _“Rey... I know you’re there...”_ This made her heart jump. _“I can feel your light...”_ She could make out his silhouette, his tall stature and broad frame. _“Please... I need you...”_

“Ben...” she whispered before a loud alert went off.

“There’s a breach it the exhaust!” she heard Finn shouting from beyond her quarters. She jumped to her feet, abandoning her mediation for now. It wouldn’t do her any good to save Ben if the ship she had was going to explode.

Down the corridor she ran to find Chewie lift a panel from the ground as Rose readied to head under. Finn sat close to pass off tools to her as Rey approached the opening.

“Kriff,” the ambassador groaned, “it’s leaking everywhere. Someone drop us out of light speed.”

Chewie growler and made his way to the cockpit. Rose wiped her brow as she asked for a wrench.

“Where ever you got this part, Rey, it was never meant for this old freighter.”

“Will this keep us from getting to Lothal?” she asked as she squad down, ready to join the old tech at any moment.

“We may need to land,” Rose advised, as she shut off the valve that was causing the leak, “Pass me the sealent tape,” and Finn tossed the small gray roll down.

“Even with light speed Lothal is still a week’s flight, Rey,” Finn said as he got up to check the map for any near by planets, “We’re close to Mataou and it seems like they have a place that repairs and sells parts. Maybe we can find what we need to repair the Falcon.”

Rey looked at the graphic on the screen and read over the little information there was as Finn helped Rose out of her hole. It seem to check out as she scroll to read about the shop and its keeper, but she couldn’t help sensing something else. **_Bail Turgina._** Why did it have a familiar ring to her? She never remember meeting a Bail in her life. Leia’s adoptive father was named Bail though. Could that be it?

“I’ll go tell Chewie to lead,” Finn said as Rey continued to stare at the screen. Rose wiped her hands with a rag as she observed the Jedi not moving.

“Rey,” she said finally getting her attention, “is that all right with you?”

“Oh yes,” she answered and shaking her head to clear her thoughts, but the nagging feeling remained, “I’m sure Bail knows all about freighters.”

*****

When they landed, a couple of maintenance droids waddled out followed by a young boy who eyed over the freighter.

“Woah,” he gawked over the ship as the crew disembarked, “is this the Millennium Falcon?”

“Mateus,” came a bellowing voice from the office in the hangar, “don’t just stare. Get those analytics done.”

“Yes, Father,” the boy called back and pardoned himself to helped the little droids.

He was quite young with dark skin, his hair held back in tight knots, but Rey could feel something. A tingling sensation that was hard to ignore, something that she had felt once at that age. When she turned to Finn, he found he was also staring at the boy as well.

“You don’t think,” he started before the owner, Bail Turgina, finally made his appearance.

“I’m sorry about him,” the owner said as he greeted the crew with a warm smile.

He walked with a slight limp, but carried himself well. Dark skin like his son and his hair was held back in long dreads with white strikes here and there. His friendly demeanor triggered something in Rey. The sense of familiarity was back. He seemed to pause to when he looked at her. Their eyes held in that moment as the world around them seemed to shift. The hangar changed to a sea side cliff where the grass was green and small huts of stones surrounded. This wasn’t Ahch-To, but it resembled it. The man aged backwards turning into a young man on the verge of adolescence. His hair shorter and cut where the sides of his head could be seen. A playful grin displayed on his face as he held his own lightsaber in his hand. When he ignited it, it glowed blue like many apprentices did before her. He spun it around with ease before another boy jumped into view. The sabers clashed as he let out a laugh.

_“Come on, Ben. You’re going to have to do better than that.”_

“Rey,” she heard Finn’s voice bring her back to reality as the laughter faded in the distant. Bail shifted his stance slightly, his eyes narrowed as he looked up at her.

“So you finally came,” he spoke, his voice tight, “You think you can just show up like that. Forget it. The way of Jedi are long go and if you think you going to take my son, I’ll kill you first.”

“Your son,” Rey was shocked and looked at the young boy reading over his data pad before looking back at Bail, “No… No, no, you have this all wrong. We just need to ship repaired.”

“No, but something else brought you here. I know all the reports and I knew it was only a matter of time you would show up,” Bail continued as he stepped closer, “If not you, then the First Order would. So, you want to tell me this is just a coincidence?”

“Sir, we didn’t know about you till a few hours ago,” Rose interjected as she placed herself between him and Rey, “We’re just on our way to Chandrila to drop off supplies to a base there.”

“In a piece of junk like that? With her?” he threw his head back and laugh, “Try again. I love when people lie.”

“We could always take our business somewhere else,” Finn threatened. He didn’t like where this was going.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Mateus approached the group with his readings, “The engine core is completely fried and the leak you found is corroding your main system. It’s best you guys stay grounded for the next couple of days.”

Bail took the data pad from his son as the droids started to get to work on the ship. Chewie let out a cry of protest as they started taking things apart. The Wookiee swung and knocked a droid off of its feet as the other made a run for it.

“It’s all right, Chewie,” Rey went to ease the distressed beast, “They only want to help.”

“Lugnut, Sparks, get back to base,” Bail barked as the droids stopped what they were doing, “We’ll take care of this ship in the morning. I’ll do a recount on the parts we have in stock. I’m sure we have something.”

“What about them, Father?” the young boy asked, “We can’t just leave them stranded.”

Bail looked over the group. His expression hadn’t change much since they had first arrived. Calm, but guarded, ready to defend himself if he needed to.

“I give you my word, Bail,” Rey said, “I’m not here for your son.”

“Me? Why would anyone be interested in me?”

“Mateus,” Bail spoke as he turned to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder, “show our guest to our home. It’s not much, but we have a barn for our eopies. Perhaps some of you would like to sleep there for the night.”

*****

It was a modest hut made out of the clay and sand. In a way, it reminded Rey almost of the Lars homestead on Tatooine. It had a small moisture farm as rode in on their eopies. Finn gagged at the smell of them as Rose rolled her eyes. Rey looked over the land. It seemed to be a small community was built made up of scrappers, farmers, and other people. Aliens and humans in coexists, speaking in tongues that Rey had never heard of before as Bail greeted a fellow neighbor.

When they finally arrive, he instructed his son to show their guests into their home while he took care of the camel-like steeds. Mateus was a bubble of life. When he opened the door to their home, he was ready to point out everything, from maps they had collected over time, old holoscans of shows and entertainment to his own models of ships they had repair, made from scrap had found lying about.

“I have an uncle who a Resistance pilot,” he began to brag as he took down an X-wing model with blue streaks and the Rebel symbol in gold on its right wing, “Father said his last mission took him to Exegol to take out the Final Order. My uncle is probably one of the best pilots in the whole galaxy.”

“Really?” Finn asked as he sat next to the boy, “What’s his name?”

“Roman Turgina, leader of the Gold Team,” he said with pride and showed off a pilot badge he had in his collection, “When this war is over, he’s going to teach me how to fly and maybe one day I’ll be a pilot like him.”

“That’s an amazing dream, Mateus,” Rose chimed in as she joined them on the floor as well.

Rey continued to explore the home, noting the multicolored walls and cozy furniture. Then she saw a lone holopuck on an end table and pressed it to activate it. The scan showed Bail and a much younger Mateus in the arms of a beautiful woman. A sense of loss and mourning fell over her.

“My wife, Greta,” Bail said as he broke the silence. A single tear rolled down her face as he limped over to the puck. “Every time I look at her, I am still in shock that she ever fell for a man like me,” he picked up the puck and looked at the image, “She had the prettiest sapphire eyes, bluer than any ocean I had seen and a laugh that could warm a cold day. Mateus was only 4 when she passed.”

“How did she die?” Rey asked as he turned off the holopuck and placed it back on the table.

“She got really sick. There was nothing that the medics here could do for her and we didn’t have enough money for a transport to get her off this dust bowl,” he sighed, “but she was brave the entire time, even when her hair started to fall. She let our son see her as weak.”

Rey nodded and looked over to where her friends were playing with the young boy.

“He seems to have her spirit though,” she smiled, “The Light radiates from him like a fire in the night.”

“Which should be disconcerting,” Bail sighed as he limped over to his kitchen to begin making dinner.

“Why are you so shut off from the Force?” Rey asked as she followed him, “You were one of the students Luke taught. I saw it in a vision. You knew Ben.”

He hummed as he filled a pot with water before gathering more vegetables.

“Which means not all the students were killed during the time the Jedi temple was destroyed,” she surmised as he set the pot on a heating mat to boil before washing his vegetables. “So what really happened then? How did you survive?”

“By shutting myself off as you put it,” he answered as he pour salt into the water, “Once the temple was destroyed we all went our separate ways.”

“We? There’s more of you?”

“There were 4 in total who were among Luke’s promising students,” he said as he started chopping, “5 if you want to include Solo... or does he prefer Kylo Ren?” He shrugged, “We were among the first who were to join Luke in forming a new order. He had said it would be up to us to bring balance once he was gone and he had all the faith in the world in us, but Ben... he had his doubts.”

He began to add his ingredients to his pot. He pulled out another pan and grabbed some meat before adding noodles to his pot.

“We were the first 5 and when new younglings came along, we were to assist in their journey. I remember being so eager to teach that it nearly blindsided me when it all happened,” he said, his look being more sober, “The night the temple fell, we were all in shock. The 4 of us faced him, pleading with him not to do this. Then I remember being pushed off a cliff...” He paused for a moment, “Ben wasn’t always like that... He at one point used to smile... but that night he said if we wouldn’t join him, then we were his enemies...”

“After we were rescued, I returned to my home on Cato Neimoidia. My parents had noticed the change in me and had wanted to seek help, but Luke had disappeared after that, and they didn’t know anyone else who was Force sensitive,” he sighed, “So I left and decided I would make my own way. I thought I would acted as a lone Jedi, helping small villages fend off thieves and bandits. Maybe the Resistance would take me in consider what powers I had. That’s when I met Greta,” he smiled as he pulled his cooked meat off the burner, “She took my breath away with her smile and she was smart too, taught me everything she knew about ships and repairs. At the same time, I felt the growing presence of the Dark side. Ben Solo was no longer Ben Solo. He had chosen the path his grandfather had taken before and vowed to finish what he started. I feared that one day he would seek me and the others out to kill us and those we loved. Which is why I shut myself off. I closed a door that was never meant to be open in order to protect those I cared about the most.”

He looked over at his son still talking and playing with Rose and Finn as the wookiee walked into the space, ducking so he didn’t hit his head.

“So, this is when I turn my question to you,” he final said as combined broth, meat and noodles, “why are you here?”

Rey took a moment to collect her thoughts. She wasn’t sure how to explain it. So, she started from the begin. She talked about how her parents sold her for her own protection, her miserable life on Jakku, how so met Finn, fly the Millennium Falcon, being captured by Kylo Ren, him revealing himself to her for the first time, her escape, watching Han Solo be killed by his own son, fight him in the snow, finding Luke Skywalker, being rejected by him, the Force connecting her to Kylo, calling him Ben, him killing Snoke to save her, feeling him change, but her heart break when he still pulled to the dark and so on. Bail listen to her words internally as he cooked, hanging onto them like it was a poem or a song.

“And I seek to rescue him,” she finished and he cocked his eyebrow.

“How?”

“By journeying to the World between Worlds. It’s a place between time and space that transcends all meaning,” she explained, “Master Yoda instructed me it was time to lead the Jedi in an order. I am to train my friend, Finn, and with his help, we’ll be able to bring him back.”

Bail turned and looked at the man his son was talking to.

“A sense doubt in him,” he said, “He’s far too old to train too.”

“Finn believes in doing the right thing. When ordered to kill villagers, he chose not to.”

“But he still sees the villain in the mask and fears what will happen to you,” Bail warned, “Perhaps your friendship has blinded you to see that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, my friends. This is Mantabel here, finally giving you an update by introducing a new character. Did I mention I watch the World between Worlds episode from Rebels? What an emotional rollercoaster. I'm not entirely sure I understand it, but I'm going to have some fun with that.
> 
> Okay, so let's do this.
> 
> Thank you Yolilizitli, Shiloh38, xmag, Lukas+Bauer, and Gingerroselove for your comments. Thank you for 409 hits and 29 kudos. I am glad that there are so many that are jumping on board with this. I hope you like the new characters and hopefully you guys are still on board for this journey.


	6. Stuck Between a Choice and a Pursuit

Jannah didn’t like this one bit.

“I won’t do it,” she said as she crossed her arms, “He can’t be trusted and will ruin everything we’ve worked so hard on building.”

“Ha...” Armitage sneered, “Don’t falter yourself. If anything, you and FN-2187 have just made yourself bigger targets to the First Order.”

“His name is Finn, just like my name is Jannah,” she snapped as she glared at the ex-general, “We’re people just like the others you stole as children.”

“Perhaps Ren was right about using a clone army,” he offhandedly said.

“Enough!” Poe yelled, “Listen, we can’t just lock him up because he’s just a common enemy.”

“Did you forget what he did to the Republic?! He wiped out an entire system. He’s wanted us gone. He will destroy everything the Resistance wants to protect.”

“Yet he has help us earn favor with some of the most powerful people in the galaxy,” Poe stated, “You know how nice it is to finally be able to update our firearms and transports, to have actually medical droids? While Kaydel is filling in for Rose, your division needs someone to help you all on the inside.”

“That’s me, in case you’ve forgotten, General,” she scoffed.

“Yes, but he has more intel on the higher ranks,” Poe pointed out, “With him, we can crush them from the top down.”

Armitage wasn’t entirely sure he liked this idea. Though he had given the Resistance information about the First Order after he was demoted, it was at a time when Kylo Ren had gained control and use his blender as a way to humiliate him. Like the way his own father used to make him scrub his quarters with a toothbrush. It was one thing to go on missions of goodwill. At least he enjoyed Rose’s company, but TZ-1719, he remember reading the reports on her leading her division to rebel. So, he had his rights to have his doubts.

She turned her fiery glare towards him as he held his own and marched up to him.

“If anything goes wrong, you’ll find a blaster in your gut and this time nothing will stop it,” she threatened before walking off.

*****

_“You seem lost,” spoke a voice from behind her. Rey turned to find a Jedi with soft, gold curls and brilliant blue eyes with a scar over his right eye._

_“Master Anakin?” He gave her a charming grin that reminded her of when Ben smiled at her._

_“I can see why he was so taken by you,” he continued as he approached, “Curious and knowing all in a pretty face.”_

_Rey felt herself blush slightly at his comment as he took a seat on the ground._

_“Come. Join me.” And she did. “Tell me what seems to trouble you?” he asked as he tucked his arms into his Jedi robes._

_“I sense him now,” she confessed, “I can feel his presence, but it only seemed to appear when I met Bail.”_

_“That’s good then, is it not?”_

_“But when I was on Tatooine, there was nothing... There were nights I would meditate and there was nothing.”_

_“You had turned away from the Force much like Luke and Master Yoda has done before. Much like me when I chose the Dark over the Light,” he explained, “The Force is not a power that one simply inherits, Rey. The Force chooses those to guide others on a path, to find balance. Where there is day, there is night. Balance. You and Ben were chosen to bring that balance and lead a new order of Jedi.”_

_“But what about Finn? The Force flows through him. It chose him. Could he not be the one?”_

_“You have yet to start his training,” he added, “Bring Bail along. With his son at his side, Finn may not be so intimidated by this.”_

_“Are there others?” Rey asked, “Bail had mentioned there were others.”_

_Anakin nodded with a knowing smile._

_“They are closer than you think,” he said, “Now go.”_

She bolted up in the cot she was sharing with Rose as the ambassador stirred awake.

“Rey,” she yawned, “What time is it?”

“There are others,” she whispered, jumping out of the cot and started to pace, “Which mean Ben never really killed or destroyed anything in the beginning.”

“What are you talking about?” Rose asked as she propped herself up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"So by finding them, we can start the new order.. with their help, we can find the portal on Lothal,” she gasped as Rose looked at her like she had grown a second head.

“Wait... what about training Finn? I thought that was the whole point of this?”

Rey pause as she felt something, a new pull in the Force just outside the hut. She grabbed her poncho and bolted from the small room. She heard Rose call after her, but Rey couldn’t be bother when something amazing was about to happen. With the sun slowly rising in the distance, just beyond his small barn, stood Bail looking off in the distance. He held the hilt of a lightsaber in his hand, played with the weight of it before he turned it on. The green glow of the blade made Rey’s heart beat faster. He never stopped, not like he said he did. He took his stance in a ready position. Feet planted as he bent his knees, holding the lightsaber in both hands before he started. He parried and turned, ducked and spun with ease. He twirled the lightsaber in his hand like the boy he was before. Every move was followed by another, calculated and precious. Then he did a backflip, which took more effort than he was used to and landed on his bad leg, making him lose the lightsaber and have him roll to his side in pain. He cursed under his breath as Rey picked up the hilt. The Beskar steel had a copper look to it with a brown leather band circling it. There were ancient runes engraved on the side that Rey had only seen in the Jedi text.

“Duty and Resolve,” she read aloud as Bail hobbled over to her.

“When we were building our sabers,” he huffed, “Luke told us how the Jedi of the Old Republic were. Their job was to protect and defend, but with this new order, he wanted us to choose our own path.”

He took the saber back and nodded at Rose.

“What does Duty and Resolve mean?” the ambassador asked.

“When we were building these, I had a vision of us beside Ben Solo leading the way for a new Jedi Order,” he explained as they followed him back into his home, “We would be a council like the old, but one with more ideas. I also saw his mother like her birth mother was before, a senator in the New Republic. So, I assumed that our duties were like the Jedi of the old. Perhaps without a clone army.”

“Who were the others?” Rey asked, “You said there were 4 others who survived?”

“I’m not really sure what good would do you,” he said, “You have your friend to train.”

“But your journey is not yet over,” she continued, “You felt it the moment our ship reached out to. You thought I was here to take your son, to start his journey, but I’m here to see you complete yours.”

She took his hand and held it.

“Bail Turgina, it’s time to come back to the Light.”

*****

Armitage didn’t enjoy the dirty looks he was getting. All of them were from former stormtroopers, perhaps blaming him for their destiny. He wasn’t the one who started the program, but he continued nevertheless. He noted that some of them still used their own armor, but had modified it to be more incline with the Resistance. He saw rebellion symbols everywhere. He even found a picture of him, but morphed into a momong. At least with Rose, she was able to give him protection. He doubted that Jannah would do the same. Walking around the makeshift base on Pillio as the sea churred around them with aquatic life, he was told a private message wait in his quarters. He excused himself as he made his way. It didn’t pass his mind the dirty looks her received, but he couldn’t care.

If anything these ruffians should be grateful he was here.

Still, the ex-general wasn’t hurt by the cold reception. He knew there was only one person who mattered to him and she would provide him with the information he needed.

_Dear Armitage,_

_I can honestly say I regret ever agreeing to this. The Jedi has 100% lost it. While the Falcon is in need of repairs, we happened to have come a former student of Luke Skywalker, someone who survived the fall of the Jedi Temple and the wrath of Kylo Ren. He is convince that we have come to kidnap his son as well. This is starting to feel like a disaster. Maybe it’s because I don’t understand the Jedi religion or what the Force means to them, but Finn is even starting to have his doubts too. He’s not even sure he wants to be trained by her anymore._

_I’d much rather go back to our time of Naboo, when we took in the sights one evening. That time when they were having their Lantern Festival. I still have that ring you bought, the one with the loyalty loops. I stare at from time to time and wonder what it means to be loyal._

_Is this cause for nothing if we follow blindly this plan this woman feels spirits are leading her to? What does this help us with the fight? And even if we see it to the end, what if it’s an ending that leads to our own destruction? What is the point if the fighting still has to go on?_

_Armitage, you knew Ren better than anyone else, do you feel this is all for not?_

_Please message soon,_

_Sweet Flower_

He should ignore the way his heart quicken when she signed it with his pet name he had given her after drinking too much whiskey or the fact she wrote about their time on Naboo. She wore a midnight blue gown with yellow embroidery. Fitting for an evening about night and lights that glowed. He spotted the simple rings in a booth. Though more commonly worn for lovers, Armitage felt that he needed more than just to show that he was loyal to her than just by being there. So,he bartered with the man till he had them both. When he presented them to her, she laughed at first, but when he took her hand she stopped.

 _“Consider it a sign,”_ he said as he placed the ring on her pinkie, _“if you ever have doubts, know that there is one that will remain loyal to you.”_

He looked down at his right hand and saw the same ring on his. She need her mind to be at ease, so he would put it at ease. He began to write.

*****

Rey hovered around Bail’s shop all day. She helped young Mateus and the mechanic droids with the repairs needed on the Falcon as well as eye the once Jedi from time to time. She know he was teetering on the edge, but there was no way where he would fall.

“My father is afraid,” the young boy spoke as they took a break.

“Is that what he told you?” she asked as she bit into her bread.

“It’s...” he hesitated, “I don’t know... I just feel it.”

“That’s a deep connection you have with your father,” she explained, “Do you know about the Force, Mateus?”

The young boy thought for a second.

“It’s an ability that makes you powerful... Like Vader and Ren?”

“The Force is what connects all living things. It’s an energy to binds everything Light and Dark together,” she explained, “Close your eyes,” he did, following the way she sat, and reached out with his hand like she had done with Luke. She smiled, taking his hands and placing them on either side of him. “Feel the ground under you. Tell me what you see.”

“I feel... the eopies,” he answered, “The droids at work. I feel life. Light.”

Rey smiled as she felt the Force swarming around him. He was truly his father’s son. The same Light she saw in Bail was the same she saw in Mateus, but when his face scrunch, she could feel the shift in the Force.

“Someone is troubled,” he started, “They need help. He… he’s reaching out… He’s covered in darkness… He’s lost…”

“Ben,” she spoke in a whisper.

“He knows you…” Mateus said.

She touched Mateus and saw him. His eyes met hers. They were soft and bright. They were filled with fear, like the night she learned about Luke betrayal. She wanted to touch him, hold him, comfort him. He seemed to calm when he saw her. As if he read her mind, he touched her, cupping her cheek and catching a tear that fell.

 _“Hey kid…”_ he said.

She felt a jerk back as Bail pulled his son away from her.

“What did you do?” he asked as he looked over Mateus.

“I…” she tried to find her words, but she couldn’t. Instead, she ran.

She needed to get away. It was too much for her now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woof! I wrote a new chapter. I hope you guys are still enjoying this, because it's all I can think about. I feel like this isn't a strong chapter, but I still hope that you're still enjoying it. 
> 
> Thanks to xmag for your comment. Thanks for 499 and 33 kudos. 
> 
> I plan on incorporating more OCs. If you're not into it, then I'll just move on, but please let me know. Leave comments. Any feedback, I'll take it.


	7. Your First Steps

Rose was worried. The Falcon repairs were almost complete, but Rey hadn’t been to the shipyard since the incident with Mateus. She had become distant, taking meals outside to stare off into the horizon, sometimes meditating for hours. Finn wasn’t any help at all.

“She has a lot on her mind,” he had commented when he was help cleaning the barn.

“But you know her better than anyone else,” she retorted, “Shouldn’t you be providing some support?”

He merely shrugged it off as if he couldn’t be bothered. Despite her frustration, she could tell the Jedi was going down a path that couldn’t be healthy. She approached her on their final night on Mataou with a hot plate and tea in hopes she could get a private word with Rey. She found still sitting staring off at the setting sun, holding herself and rubbing the sweater she wore.

Rose offered her the plate and she refused, so she set it beside and took a seat on the desert floor.

“You’ve been quiet lately,” Rose said, breaking the silence as Rey offered her a half smile, “Finn is convinced it’s stressed, but I feel it’s something deeper.”

“When you and Finn were paired up together on that mission on Cato Bit, did you feel you were in love with him before or afterwards?” Rey asked, startling Rose, “I know you feel differently about each other now. He has Jannah and you have Hux, but how did you feel when you were with Finn?”

Rose thought about it, pondering over old feelings that she had buried deep down. At the time, it never felt right. They were part of different parts of the Resistance and he ended up playing a bigger role that she could have imagined.

“Perhaps how you feel when the Force called to you,” she described, “It was like the energy I hadn’t felt before and I just wanted to embrace it.”

Rey’s eye drifted to the black sweater she wore, her fingers caressing a large hole in it.

“That’s how I feel about Ben,” she confessed, “There was a night when I was on Ahch-To, I had fallen into this cave. I thought I would find answers, but instead I found myself more alone than I ever felt. Ben was there though. He wrapped a blanket around me to keep from shivering and even stoked the fire to keep me warm. He just listened to me, never judging my decision or scolding me knowing I had been tempted.”

Rey closed her eyes as if she was trying to remember such a time.

“When I was on Tatooine, I thought that maybe reconnecting with Luke’s past, I would find the belonging I wanted, but instead I seeped into that loneliness once more,” she continued as tears started to fall, “Now, I feel like I have a sense of purpose again and after finding Bail, I’ve never felt more closer to Ben than before.”

Rey opened her eyes and Rose felt like she was looking into the whole universe. There was something ancient that she couldn’t describe. It churned all of these emotions in her that she felt her own tears fall before she even realize she was crying. This was love. The deepest love anyone could ever feel for someone. She knew this feeling so well. She had felt it for her sister, for Finn at one point, and now, she felt it through Rey.

“What happened on Exegol?” Rose asked with a tremor in her voice.

“He came back for me,” she whispered.

*****

Bail held in old lightsaber in his hand. If he knew any better, he should have buried it with his parents, but his brother had convinced him otherwise.

“ _Jedi’s journey never complete, right?_ ” his brother had said.

He head wrestled with this for most of his life after the fall of the temple, but then Greta seemed to put his mind at ease. Life was suddenly simpler. He worked at his shipyard to make the credits to provide for his small family. It wasn’t till Mateus started getting older that things slowly started to complicate.

“Father,” he heard the voice of his son from the doorway of his room. Still timid at times like the child who used to cling to his mother’s side when meet new people, Bail hadn’t taken in the fact that something amazing was happening to him.

“Come here, Son,” he beckoned, offering a space on his bed for him to sit. Mateus took his spot, eyeing the hilt in his father’s hand.

“Did I ever tell you about Luke Skywalker?” he asked as his son nodded, “Did I ever tell you I was once a student of his?” Mateus shook his head as he furrowed his brow in confusion. “Something wonderful is happening to you, Mateus,” Bail said, “You starting your journey into manhood.” He wasn’t sure if he was ready to have this conversation with him. “Much like Luke was strong in the Force, you are strong with it too. You’ve been given a gift that should honed to help others. With you by myself, we can lead a new order of Jedi and bring peace to the galaxy.”

Mateus still seemed confused until Bail presented with a small, velvet black bag. He encouraged him to open it to find a small kyber crystal.

“At the time when I was forging my lightsaber, an extra piece had fallen off at my feet,” Bail explained, “Perhaps I should have left it alone, but I took in a moment of greed, thinking that maybe with another piece it would help me build a powerful saber to rival the other students. Now, I understand that it was meant for you all along.”

“What do you mean?” Mateus asked.

Bail took his hand that was holding the crystal and enclosed his around it.

“Rey showed you your first steps,” he stated, “but I will see your journey through.”

*

“We can’t more,” Finn protested when he saw Bail and Mateus approach the Falcon with their own bags.

“Come on, Finn,” Rose nudged, “He’s not asking us to pay him, which is a good thing, and they can leave whenever they want to.”

“Yes, but we only have enough supplies for us and Chewbacca already eats so much,” he argued. The wookiee growled behind as Rey came down the ramp. She looked stunned to see father and son on their way, but her heart filled with delight. She ran up to them and embraced each one of them wholeheartedly. The embrace felt like a seal, a pact. She knew Bail would see this journey to the end.

“For Ben,” he whispered, an oath she would carry with her for the rest of her days.

“For Ben,” she answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mini chapter update. I was going to type more, but sometimes a short chapter is all you need. It’s time for Bail and Mateus to join the party, but there are more to come, so you better hold onto you bonnets. Thank you Yoliliztli, xmag, and Gingerroselove for your comments. Thank you for the 616 hits as well as the 36 kudos. Means a lot to me. Hopefully you all are still liking. I know I’m enjoying writing it. Till next time everyone. ❤️


	8. Captured

_Rey was running through the forest on Takodana. She was being chased again. She knew this scene too well. It was moments before her capture. She was only armed with the blaster Han Solo gave her to fend off the beast that was chasing it. When she was cornered, she turned and fired, knowing it would be no use. He block ever shot with the red cross guard saber in his hand, but freezing her in place with snap of his hand._

_“The girl I’ve heard so much,” he spoke through the mask, the chrome shined in the afternoon light as he stalked closer to her._

_She wasn’t frighten this time. She knew of the man that was hidden under the mask. She had seen everything. She knew of his troubled past, the path that led him to here, and what his future held._

_“Don’t do this, Ben,” she said as he paused. He pointed the saber at her throat and growled, “How do you know that name?”_

_“I know all there is about you,” she replied, “Your future, your past... It doesn’t have to be this way.”_

_Some hold his on her had weakened and she was able to drop the blaster. She extended her hand to him. Maybe this time things would turn out different. She could sense his confusion._

_“Take my hand,” she said, but it trigger something in him. He let out a cry of anger and raised his saber to strike._

Rey bolted from her sleep as an alarm was going off. Chewie cried in the distant as she heard Bail start barking orders.

“Something has locked on to us, but the censors aren’t picking up anything,” Rose said as Rey looked over her shoulder.

“Mateus, duck into the panel,” Bail ordered his son as he lifted BB-8 to join him.

Chewie growled as he tried to get the Falcon to break free of whatever was pulling them in.

“Stop or you’ll blow an engine!” Bail yelled and the wokkiee yelled back.

“Maybe if we scramble their coding, we might be able to see what it is,” Finn suggested as Rose started to frantically typing away.

“Nothing is working. It has to be another smuggling ship. Maybe pirates,” she worried.

Rey suddenly heard laughter behind her. There was a shift in the Force.

 _“Ben, you have such big ears,”_ spoke a young girl’s voice. She turned as her surrounding were shadowed in darkness. The stars glimmered overhead as girl allowed a boy to sit between her legs. His back was relaxed against her chest as she braided his thick locks.

 _“Nevy, you promised not to tease,”_ Rey heard the soft rumble of his voice.

 _“But I’ve never met anyone with set large ears,”_ she continued as she tugged on one of them. He nudged her knee and she continued to tease. The girl tugged once more on his right ear and Ben had finally had enough, grabbing her waist and pulled her off the log she sat. They tumbled and wrestled till he straddle her hips and pinned her hands above her head. They laughed till their noses bumped. The pair paused and stared at each other, eyes locked on each other. Both were unsure what the next step would be.

 _“You can kiss me if you want to,”_ she sighed.

Rey watched as young Ben Solo’s cheek colored. Her heart fell as she continued to observe the scene.

She didn’t know there was someone before her.

“REY!” she heard Finn call before an electric shock zipped through her body. She was stunned and collapsed to the floor. Smoke clouded her vision as the intimate scene faded. The last thing she remembered hearing was a Wookiee’s call.

*****

“What did you get us into, Lumpy?” Alister Solo groaned as the young wookiee continued to point at the old Cornelian freighter. His whines were beginning to be desperate.

“Those are the Boogie brothers again,” Nevmarl Maidtil responded as she watched the cloaked ship fade in and out, “They’re using an old First Order dreadnaught.” The small brunette suddenly felt a pulse she hadn’t felt before as her husband tried to argue with their wookiee companion.

“I don’t want to get shot at! We already have it bad with the Hutts, I don’t want to add those sociopaths on our radar,” Alister retorted as the Wookiee continued to scream and whine.

“Did you already forget about Cato Bit?” she reminded him as he grimaced at the notice.

“For the record, we are a small enough aircraft that we could go undetected on their scanners,” SN-59 rattled off, “Also it seems the dreadnaught they are using is one of the first fleet, right at the beginning of the Order. They’ve also made tons of modifications which half of them don’t work.”

“We’sa could rescue them, easy peasy,” smirked Ew Rirpig, “Canon online. Make’a big boom.”

The wookiee protested as Nevmarl agreed.

“SN, are there any hatches we can override or maybe there is an opening they never closed?” she asked.

“You’re not suggesting we do this, are you?” Alister asked as he furrowed his brow.

“It’s 4 to 1, Hotshot,” she smirked as she took her position in the pilot seat, “Besides, what could possibly go wrong.”

*****

Finn woke when a bucket of water was splash on top of him. He gasped for air and was jerked to his knees.

“We’re looking for the owner of the freighter you clearly stole,” spoke a gravelly voice from the shadows as Finn tried to see who captured them, “Chance you know anyone by the name Solo?”

Finn tried the wriggle his way out of his entrapment when he paused. They don’t know? Maybe this is something he could use to his advantage.

“Why do you care about a ship of a deadman?” Finn asked. He could sense the confusion in the room, so he figured he’d tried to keep this charade going. “My crew and I killed him, took his ship and befriended his copilot,” he continued, “So, you’ve probably got yourself in a bit of a situation.”

Another beat passed before the leader in the shadow made some clicking noises, prompting one of the guards to release him from the shackles he wore on his wrist. He rubbed his wounds before standing as the leader came out from the shadows. His face was cover with a breathing mask. The thud of his heavy boot reverberated through the haul of the ship that he could feel it in his soul. The leader’s eyes glowed red, piercing int the darkness as he tipped his large brim hat. From the way they squinted it seemed like he may have been smiling under his mask.

“Brothers, how rude have we been to our guests,” he wheezed before sounding off some more clicks, “We should have them join us at our table and feast in celebration.”

More clicks sounded around Finn as the guards left and other crewmen came out from the shadows. The leader wrapped two strong arms around Finn’s shoulder and waist before leading him out of the interrogation room.

“My apologies, Killer, again,” spoke the leader, “Clearly we had made a mistake in messing with you, but now that you’ve squashed our little problem, why not strike up a deal.”

“I just want my friends released,” Finn said strongly and the leader chuckled.

“Of course, of course. There is nothing to worry about,” he answered with a hint of a smirk, “but for now, please, enjoy our hospitality, Killer.”

The leader had lead him into a mess hall where there were other aliens like him. Four limbed men who could climb the walls with easy, arm wrestling and fighting over mead and food. He ushered Finn to the head table, away from the rowdy bunch as he saw from the corner of his eye Rey, Rose and Bail being hustled in roughly.

“We did have to take your weapons though,” the leader noted as he pulled out the hilt that Rey had built, “Funny. I never knew there were still Jedi around. Thought they had all gone extent when the Empire fell.”

“I guess news doesn’t really travel in deep space,” Finn said as he shook his head at Rey. He knew what she was thinking and he saw Bail take her hand. She was always ready to fight. The years on Jakku had been hard on, but if they were going to get out of this, they had to be keep the cool and be smart. They were clearly very out numbered. “But when I heard about the Millennium Falcon, I knew I had to have it,” he boasted as he took his seat next to the leader, “So, my crew and I hatched a plan. It was a nasty fight, but once we bargained with the wookiee, we knew we had it in the bag.”

Rey, Rose and Bail were all ushered up to the table as well. The leader sounded off some clicks, dismissing their escort.

“Please, crew of Killer,” he said, “Join us as we celebrate the death of Alister Solo.”

“Alister?” Rose questioned and Finn kicked her shin. He didn’t know there was another Solo.

“Yeah, you remember, the one we killed for the Falcon,” he egged on and something clicked.

“Oh… was that was his name,” she laughed, “It seemed so long ago, I completely forgot.”

The leader sounded some more clicks as a meal was served. Distilled moonshine was poured as hot bantha steaks were placed in front of them with steamed greens and warm bread.

“Nothing like a hot meal. You all look so famished,” the leader wheezed, “Please. Eat”

*****

Mateus held the astrometric droid close. He feared the worst had happened to his father and their new friends. Everything had gone quiet after the attack and he wasn’t sure what to do next. BB-8 had suggested they try to find help, but Mateus wasn’t entirely sure how to do that or even if it would be safe for them to do that. When he heard footsteps again, he listened to the people above him.

“There is no way this is Alister’s ship,” spoke a deep voice.

“Well, the boss has some interest in it and they don’t make freighters like this anymore,” said another one, “Probably will just sell it for parts or something.”

“Hey, look at this,” he heard them rustling through some drawers, “An actual book. What do you think it says.”

“If you can’t read, what makes you think I can?” barked one of them as a punch was thrown.

“Hey, you bug brains!” called someone in the distance.

There was a pause before blasters went off again.

“Great aim, Lumpy,” said a man as a wookiee grunted. More footsteps approached as the wookiee continued to speak. “Wait! You mean this is the real Millennium Falcon? You got to be kidding?! Nevy, did you…”

“I heard him,” came a woman’s voice as footsteps walked over him, “There’s someone else here.”

Mateus held his breath as he heard BB-8 slow his compression fans. Maybe if he was still enough, they would leave. Soon the panel over him lifted and he raised his hands up in surrender.

“Please, don’t hurt me,” he cried, ducking his head down and closing his eyes. He really wished his dad was here now.

“Hey, kid,” he heard a soft voice speak as the woman jumped down to him, “We’re not going to hurt you.”

He felt a gentle hand cup his chin and pull his face from hiding. A pair of sparkling blue eyes shone in the dim lighting. She had a soft smile and a tender touch that only a mother would know how to have. Her brown hair framed her face as it fell to her shoulders. Something about her just made Mateus want to trust her. Before he could miss another beat, the young boy threw his arms around her neck.

*****

Rey watched as Finn continued to gorge himself with food and alcohol. Rose seemed to share the same disgust, but tried to hold her composure.

“What do you suggest we do?” she heard Bail whisper to her, “You know you could easily take these goons out or at least strike fear in them.”

“I don’t know,” she responded behind her goblet.

“Well, your friend isn’t really helping us,” he noted as Finn shared a laugh with the leader of these thugs as more cheered around them.

“You are a riot, Killer,” the leader huffed as he patted his shoulder, “Truly wish I knew about you sooner.”

“Hey! You can find an ally in me and my friends,” Finn answered as they clinked their cups together and he down drink.

Rey had a bad feeling about this. The longer they sat at this table, the more she could feel Bail getting irritated.

“Easy, Bail,” she tried to calm him.

“I can’t be calm when my son might be endangered,” he hissed.

“A toast,” they heard Rose say as she stood raising her glass high, “to dead enemies and new friendships. May this be the spark that ignites all those searching for peace.”

The leader chuckled as the rest of his goons followed suit.

“Peace? You speak like those radicals who fighting that endless battle,” he remarked, making Rose’s face sour.

“Wouldn’t that what you want?” Rey queried, “Once the war is over, you might find fair trade in your parts.”

He laughed again.

“Look around you, Lovely? Do we look like the kind that care about peace?” he took his blaster from his hip and pointed at her, “It’s never about peace. It’s about power and only those that have it, hold the galaxy by a thread. It’s only a matter of time till those _Rebels_ and _imperials_ blow themselves up.”

Without missing a beat, Rey reaches with the Force, calling her saber to her, igniting and slicing the leader’s face in half. Rose grabbed the discarded blaster as Bail flipped the table for cover and readied his saber.

“You think that was a smart move,” Rose asked before she fired off a couple rounds.

“I was just getting tired of hearing him talk,” Rey answered, “We need to find Chewie and get to the Falcon.”

“Well there is probably a hundred of them out there and only 3 of us here,” Bail nodded towards an unconscious Finn. Rey’s eyes widen as worry was about to consume her.

“Hey,” Rose called, “You guys could lend a hand.”

Rey and Bail looked at each other and had a brief understanding.

“It’s been a while,” he confessed.

“Let go,” she instructed, “and follow my lead.”

*****

The young wookiee called down a long hallway and another wookiee answered.

“Lumpy, are you sure about this?” Alister asked as he followed behind him.

“Sure about what?” Mateus asked as well.

“He thinks he might have found his dad,” his rescuer answered.

Another wookiee cry came out and Lumpy pointed at the cell door.

“Okee-day,” the gungan spoke as he set his equipment down, “Me’sa make a big boom. You’sa take cover.”

Nevmarl took the young boy’s hand and pulled behind a crate as the wookiee talked to the other one in the cell. She pulled him close to her chest. Alister wrapped an arm around her as they waited. A timer was set as the wookiee and gungan joined them.

“Cover your ears,” the demolition said as they ducked together.

The explosion sounded an alarm as the wookiee came out from his chamber. He let out a cry that was answered by the young one. Lumpy charged at the older one throwing his arms around him and crying into his fur. The wookiee pulled back and looked him over a moment passed as recognition seemed to settle in.

“That’s his father,” Alister said with a tremor in his voice. They watched as the wookiees shared another embrace before the sound of loud clicking could be heard down the hall.

 **“Time to go,”** beeped little BB-8 and grouped ran the opposite direction.

*****

Rose had dragged Finn into a alcove, tucked away as the Jedi took to defeating the swarm. She tried slapping his face to see if he would wake and shook him a couple of times.

“You worthless imp,”she said under her breath as she tried to look for a way to escape. Then her com link to BB-8 lit up and she pressed it in. “BB-8,” she gasped, “is everything all right?”

 **“Tracking your coordinates, Madame,”** he beeped, **“Help is on the way. Keep the com on.”**

“What about Mateus? Did you happen to find Chewie?” she asked as she ready her blaster to fire as Finn laid unconscious next to her, softly groaning as if he was merely asleep.

**“The wookiee has reunited with us. Keep the com live, Madame. We’re nearly there.”**

One of the goon charged at her and fired away. She stuck the com in Finn’s coat, hoping that would keep it safe. She grabbed her blaster to aim, but instead paused in awe. Never in her life had she anything like this. Two Jedi in perfect sync with each other, playing off of each other’s moves like an intricate dance. Where Rey was, Bail followed and when Bail needed her, she came in. Yellow and green colliding with blaster fire before slicing limbs off. Was this what Armitage meant by an ultimate power? Is this what Finn felt with the Force? Was this what Rey meant by balance? Rose mouth only closed when another boom went off in the distance. She watched a gungan with a large machine gun set off rounds in the room, laughing the whole two. Two more humanoids followed suit as well as Chewbacca with his crossbow. A second wookiee charged throwing a table into the crowd, disrupting most of the fighting.

“Let’s go!” Rey called as she ran towards their new companions without a second thought.

Bail came up to assist Rose, but the young wookiee, who introduced himself as Lumpawaroo, slung the unconscious man over his shoulder. Bail offered her a hand and she took it. The new group raced towards the hangar as the smaller woman began to spout orders.

“You guys head back to the Falcon,” she said, “We’ll follow behind you in the Conquest.”

“SN,” spoke the man into a com, “ready the engines.”

“There is a docking port just south of here,” she continued as she tossed Bail a pathfinder device, “Lock that into your computer and it’ll show you the way. I promise your son is fine, Bail.”

It didn’t register to him right away until he noted the way she said his name, but the reunion would have to wait. They group spilt at a crossroads. The man, gungan, and woman went down a dark corridor while the Wookiees followed the Jedi and ambassador to the Cornelian freighter. The small orange and white BB-unit buzzed with joy to see his friends return as he hacked at a control panel to get the hangar doors open. Rose helped Lumpawaroo with Finn as Bail opened up a panel in the cockpit. Rey and Chewbacca were in their seats readying the ship to disembark.

 _“Rey,”_ she heard Ben voice, making her freeze, _“You can trust Nevy. Don’t be afraid.”_

Chewie made a loud cry, breaking from the Force bond.

“Coordinates are in,” Bail said as he sat behind her.

She shook her head and had to concentrate.

“Punch it, Chewie!” she said and he gladly did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who doesn't like a good gungan? I know there were people that didn't care for Jar-Jar Binks, but I remember him being a favorite of mine back in the day. So why not have a trigger happy gungan? I also like the idea of Ben maybe having a childhood sweetheart or crush or someone in the Jedi temple having a crush on him, because, hello, he's kind of a prince. I promise I'm 100% for Reylo, because they are meant to be, but why not have a little romance during his time of training. I mean, I'm pretty Leia had a boyfriend or a crush before she met Han.
> 
> Anyways, thank you so much for all the support. Thank you to xmag for your comments. Thank you for 693 hits and 41 kudos. If there are any others out there that are enjoying this or feel like there is room to improve, if anything seems off, let me know.
> 
> Hope you guys are still are enjoying this. Umm... yeah... till next time. <3


	9. Meet the General

Armitage bolted awake. His head was throbbing him and his vision was blurry. He could taste the fresh copper of his blood in his mouth, as he tried to remember what happened. The ambush… TZ-1719 had tried to pull back and he was in the crossfire. He remember getting his and falling overboard. He would his life fading away. His disappointing, miserable life that had amounted to nothing. A bastard child who ended up being a prisoner of war, but there was one shining hope, one glimmer that he was proud to have been a part of. He could see her raven hair and her soft almond shaped eyes, her face would warm any cold audience and even seemed to melt the ice cage his heart was surrounded. His only regret was that he never truly got to show her how much she meant to him.

“Armitage Hux,” he heard a deep baritone voice across the room. It was one he recognized from his days in the lower ranks. When the man came into the light, his badges of his ranking shone in the light. His smirk was devilish, but inviting as if he held a winning hand in sabacc. He was tall, perhaps maybe taller than Armitage, but he remembered him being a tab large. Perhaps all the time on an ocean planet had done him well.

“Griggs Thanewulf?” Armitage answered.

“That’s General Thanewulf,” the officer continued to smirk as he pointed out his ranking, “My how the mighty have fallen. Running around and converting with the enemy now? You must have been really desperate, especially when it was learned you were the Resistance mole. And for what? A chance to outwit someone who believed that could communicate with the dead?”

The general laugh as he took a seat across from him. He pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Armitage. He refused as he watched his old comrade light his. With a deep inhale, he blew out a cloud of smoke as Armitage looked him over. The difference between them was that Thanewulf never had to kill his father to get where his is today, his father had plenty of influence in the First Order.

“I’ve heard rumor that the Jedi has returned to the Resistance and is on a quest to bring back our fallen Supreme Leader,” Griggs said, “Tell me, Hux, since now you are on their side, how does she think she’ll achieve such a thing?”

He just stared, unsure how to answer this question.

“Do you know about the other students of the Jedi temple?” the general continued, “We were able to dig a record that was long buried about the fall of the Jedi temple. I guess their princess didn’t want the galaxy to think that she would bear a child that turn out to be a murderous monster.”

He took another drag.

“There were four survivors from that night. Four that the great Luke Skywalker abandoned, because he was too afraid to face the failure that he was. They were found in this cave. One of them had broken leg from the fall while the others suffered scrapes and bruises. They cover in mud, almost scared out of their mind of what had happened to them,” he went on as he pulled out a small datapad and read off the names, “Bail Turgina, Zirias Varik, Nevmarl Maidtil, and Andan Forlin.”

The last name caught Armitage’s attention.

“The senator from Atzerri?” he asked as the general smirked.

“Ah… interesting, isn’t it?” Griggs stated, “Someone who was a great ally for the First Order turns out to be a student of Skywalker. Not only that, it turns out that he and Ren a lot of off the record messages passed between one another. Seems like the senator was willing to do just about anything for an old schoolmate.”

He passed the data pad over to Armitage and he read over the files. The two had seemed to be communicating with each other quite a bit over territories, trade agreements, and immunity. Andan Forlin seemed to want no part of this war at all and was doing everything in his power to make sure of that. While Ren was honoring these agreements, he didn’t seem to mind seeing how far he could push him. No wonder Atzeri was willing to help out the First Order in supplies. This could do slanderous things to the senator who tried to make his planet into a viable, thriving home for new generations. He remembered all of the laws he had passed and cleaned up to illegal drug activity. For the people to know that their senator had sold almost everything he could to a leader of a regime that was known to rob families of their children.

“It’s said that a Jedi’s power is never gone,” Griggs said, “Merrily it lays dormant till something wakes it.”

“Jedi can cut themselves off from it,” Armitage stated, remembering a brief conversation he had had with Ren when he first met him, “Choice not to listen to Force and ignore its call.”

The general’s smirk seemed to grow wider as he dropped his bud and stomped on it with his boot.

“I have a theory and perhaps it may seem crazy, but humor, Hux. That Jedi girl is going bring back our Supreme Leader, which means there is a chance that there will be an uprising of those who are Force users,” he suggested, “With such power would just mean the undoing of what the Empire had strived so hard to form and what the Order is trying to maintain.”

“So, why does it matter you?”

“It is a way of life, Hux!” he shouted, his black hair getting out of place and his face turning red, “You of all people should understand that! Or has gallivanting around with that harlot gave you a change of heart.”

Armitage head budded him, breaking his nose as stormtroopers came in from the shadows. One of them took the bud of his rifle and hit his shoulder while another one was ready to tase him.

“Leave him,” Griggs commanded, “I have him how I want him.”

He took a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his nose before smiling at him.

“If you want to save her, then you’re going to have to do everything I say.”

*****

When they landed at the spaceport, Bail was the first one off of the Falcon to meet with his son. Mateus ran into his father’s arm as he picked him up to kiss his cheek and thank the Maker for protecting him. The man and woman weren’t far behind as Bail placed his son on the ground. Rey watched as he exchanged a few words with the woman before hugging her in the same way he held his son. The familiarity made her realize that they had known each other at one point.

“Nevmarl Maidtil,” she heard Rose say as she approached with a data pad, “She belongs to an ancient tribe known as Fate-Seekers. The records say that they were some of the first Force users, even long before the Jedi were around. She was one of the students Luke had taken on.”

“She was one of the first,” Rey replied, making Rose pause, “She… was someone special to him…”

“To Luke?”

“To Ben.”

Lumpawaroo growled behind them and pointed at his crew. He sort of pushed them along to meet up with the gungan, man, woman, father and son.

“Ah, Rey,” Bail said as he broke away from his embrace, “there are some folks you want to meet.”

“Alister Solo,” spoke the man with the comb mustache and hair, he took her hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Oh, so you’re the Solo they were looking for on the ship back there,” Rose commented with a frown.

“Yeah… sorry about that,” he apologized, “The Boogie brothers are known to hold grudges. Who knew they weren’t that bright either?”

“Solo?” Rey questioned, “Any relations to the Han Solo?” She knew the answer before he even had a chance. His hair was far too fair and his nose held some freckles while his eyes were a deep blue that would favor the ocean.

“No,” he answered bashfully, “I’m an orphan from Corellia, so, well you know, when you grow up on the streets hearing the legends of Han Solo, many kids decided to take his name in hopes they would be lucky enough to get off that dump of a planet.”

Rey smiled. She knew the feeling, her never growing up knowing her own heritage, taking a last name that had value made you feel like you were worth more.

“This trigger happy gungan is Rirpig,” he introduced as the large amphibian being bowed.

“How do you do?” the gungan winked as Rose giggled.

“I guess I’ll just introduce myself,” spoke the woman as she extended a hand, “I’m Nevmarl Maidtil and it’s nice to meet you.”

When their hands touched, Rey felt pulse transfer through her body. She saw Navmarl as a young girl wielding a blue lightsaber for the first time. Confused by the weight of something that should seem so light. A larger hand encased her grip as a taller boy stood behind her.

 _“Your lightsaber is your life. It breathes the same way you do,”_ she heard Ben’s voice in the girl’s ear, _“Feel the Light surround you.”_

 _“I feel your Light there too,”_ the girl admitted, turning to face him.

Rey pulled back and saw the woman blush. Nevmarl hugged herself as tears started to form in her eyes. Rey wasn’t supposed to see that, or maybe Nevmarl had never admitted the truth.

“You loved him,” Rey said out loud, “Didn’t you?”

Nevmarl shook her head and laughed, wiping her eyes of the stray tears that threaten to fall.

“A schoolgirl crush was all it was,” she smiled, but the smile didn’t meet her hazel eyes, “I am famished. I don’t know about you all, but I could go for some of Minn’s Swamp Soup.”

*****

They sat in a booth as Bail and Nevmarl exchanged stories of their time training.

“Oh Marker’s breathe, I almost forgot about the ewoks,” Bail groan.

“How could you forget about the ewoks? They followed you everywhere,” she laughed before slurping on more noodles, “Then, Ben, the way he would get so frustrated with them was hysterical.”

“Well what about when Andan was levitating their leader? Luke was so cross with him afterwards.”

“Oh, and Zirias told on us for trying to sneak out of the huts that same night.”

“I told you she was a light sleeper, but no, you wanted to go swinging through the trees and climb to the top of the tallest one.”

“You never lived in a tribe, farm boy,” she jested, elbowing him lightly and Rey liked this.

This playful banter the two had were as if nothing bad had happened to either of them in so long. It warmed her heart knowing that these two could continue on without wondering how the other may have felt after their separation.

“Nevy,” Bail pointed out, “was considered to be Ben’s equal.”

“Stop it,” she blushed.

“No, I’m serious,” he went on, “She could just about anything he could do.”

“But he was far more gifted than all of us,” she mentioned, “or at least that’s what Andan like to point out all the time.”

“Listen, that guy was always jealous of what you and Ben were.”

“We were nothing, Bail,” she snapped, “We may had been close, but that was it… I was never… I mean…” She took a deep breath the compose herself as Alister placed a loving hand on her back. Rey watched as he leaned into her ear and whispered words of encouragement and love. She watched the young woman calm and find peace in her frustration. She was centered again and when she opened her eyes, Rey was hit with something that she wasn’t able to describe.

“You were right to assume I had… strong feels for Ben,” she admitted, “but he never felt that way about me. At the time when he turned, I thought if I could just reach him, if I showed him that someone truly cared about him, then maybe that would be his saving grace. I offered him my hand when his lightsaber was ready to strike. I told him that I could still sense the Light in him, but it wasn’t enough. Before anyone could do anything, he had pushed over the cliff and everything went dark.”

Rey saw her shudder at the memory, feeling remorse for her. She knew of this kind of rejection. She had felt in the throne when Ben had offered her a chance to rule the galaxy with him. She had hoped that the fact he was willing to fight along side her would have ignited something in him. She could feel that same regret that she felt when she left Ben behind on the Supremacy. Rey reached across the table and took Nevmarl’s hand. The Force seemed to hum between the two of them. There was a peace that had settled between them. It was then when she had a realization.

“I need you,” she said softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a new chapter. Hooray. So, I went with an idea of Rey being a name stealer and trying to turn it into something positive. Alister used Han's last name for inspiration and is even a lowkey smuggler. He even has his own Wookiee companion. Strange, right? I needed to add a villain too. You know, now that Palpatine is finally dead and all. How do y'all think of General Thanewulf? I saw the last name and it gave me a menacing vibe. Hux will be at a crossroads and Rey will just have to try a break Nevmarl hard shell to see how she really feels about Ben. Also, isn't Finn supposed to start training soon?
> 
> Thanks for about 806 hits and 43 kudos. I figured I should update the rating for future chapters. ❤️ Leave your comments for anything that might need improvement. Till next time.


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